News Bulletin

JULY 16 2014

Minister rejects allegations of non-functional schools in Lyari

Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis and Special Initiatives Javed Nagori has rejected opposition leader Shaheryar Mehar’s allegations that the government has allocated major funds for secondary education in Lyari despite the existence of non-functional primary schools in the area. Talking to journalists at his office on Tuesday, he said certain elements were trying to prevent Lyari’s children from getting better educational facilities. There are 208 government primary schools — 150 for boys and 58 for girls – in Lyari. Besides, there are 30 secondary schools for girls and boys, while the KMC is also running 58 schools in the area. About 35,000 girls and boys are studying in Lyari’s government-run primary and secondary schools in addition to 300 private schools where 47,000 students are enrolled.

Sindh Senior Minister for Education Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that there are 4000 to 5000 schools closed in Sindh and the provincial education department was working with NGOs and journalists to identify them and take action against elements involved in their closure. He said that the education department officers were overburdened due to lack of staff.

A group of medical students want to give back to the society in ways other than their hailing hands. They want to educate those who cannot afford to enroll in schools. With a vision to improve the standards of education in Pakistan, a group of Sindh Medical College (SMC) Students have established Sahar Welfare School, a two-room facility packed with students of all ages.

Inaugurating the admission process for year 2014 in Government Pilot Higher Secondary School here on Wednesday, Sindh’s Senior Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said the provincial government was set to launch early childhood education from July with the recruitment of 8,000 female teachers to enrol students from three years of age.

The Chairman BISP while thanking the continuing support of British Government informed the DFID delegation that Waseela-e-Taleem (access to education) initiative launched with DFID support has been successfully tested in 5 districts .

Expressing concern over delay in enactment of law for provision of free and compulsory secondary education, members of a civil society organisation have urged the provincial government to pass the bill from KP Assembly aimed to ensure basic right of education to all in the province. Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Fayaz Ahmad, a member of Working Group for Girls Education Initiative (WGGEI), said that free and compulsory education is mandatory under Article 25-A of the constitution of Pakistan. He said the three federating units Sindh, Punjab and Bolachistan had made progress by introducing the relevant bill in their respective provincial assemblies. But, he said, the KP was lagging behind in this regard, as it was yet to pass the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to free and compulsory education under Article 25-A from the provincial assembly.

The trend of using drugs by the students od Islamabad is increasing at a very rapid pace, said talha Mehmood, Chairman Senate Standing Committee. Children of elite class are using pills and other drugs in the parties and even in their schools and colleges.

Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) has nominated senior vice president Ch Muhammad Sarfraz as the PTU acting president in the absence of Syed Sajjad Kazmi who has gone out of the country, says a press release issued on Tuesday.

During the third week of June 2014, the Times Higher Education announced university rankings for the world. As per the ongoing trend, the global North has maintained its supremacy in the fields of knowledge generation, commercialization of research outputs, teaching quality indicators, service to diverse bodies of students, accumulation of highly qualified and research active faculty as well as meaningful liaison with the industry.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Tuesday suspended the Punjab education department’s reallocation policy after petitioners challenged it. Under the policy, each section at primary, elementary and secondary education level will have one teacher for a class of 40 students.

What is the convention for advertising the eligibility of any post of national significance? Is it not qualification first and experience later? This point is known to all but not to the ministry of education, training and standards in higher education.

Different projects for higher education are under consideration in Murree, Abbasi

Foreign Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Murree is not only blessed with natural beauty but it also has a lot of talent young people. He said that the youth of Murree just needs a little polishing and for that different higher education projects are under consideration.

Education Department is giving the building of the college to Zindagi Trust. Provincial Education Department declared the building out of order and is transferring the building which will effect 1500 students.

Within days of a ceremony held at Alhmara Arts Council where various representatives of the education sector donated Rs.110 million to the fund, several teachers ‘ representative groups have expressed reservations against what they are calling forced collection of funds from teachers.

Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday directed Higher Education Commission (HEC) to pay the pending salaries to its two officers. On last date of hearing, the court directed former chairman HEC Dr Javed Leghari to appear before the court and explain non-implementation of a court order for regularising the services of HEC director academics Muhammad Anees Sadozai, who had filed a contempt of court petition, and DG Zia Batool.

The Sindh government has imposed concessionary sales tax on services rendered by persons in education and health sectors, according to the budget documents. The provincial government has introduced several new taxes on services with the aim to broaden the tax base in the province and to achieve Rs200 billion in the next three years from the existing Rs91.37 billion, it showed. In order to bring more taxpayers in the tax net, the provincial government in the Budget 2014-15 has reduced the standard rate of 16 percent sales tax to 15 percent with a view to providing relief to the taxpayers, service recipients and consumers.

Pakistan does not only need to provide free education but also free uniforms so that the poorest citizens can also receive at least a basic education Recently, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif launched an interest-free loan scheme to help the millions of poor citizens who have not obtained loans from the banks in days gone by in order to start small businesses. He said that Rs 50,000 would be offered to every citizen from this poor bracket without any discrimination and that almost 250,000 persons would get a loan in the first year, reaching a total of one million within just four years. However, this is the first time I have seen the prime minister of this country attempting to solve the problems of Pakistanis by providing free money despite the fact that the biggest hurdle Pakistan faces today is illiteracy, which not only keeps poor people from occupying a respectable position in society but also persuades them to ‘earn’ money through unlawful means.

One of the leading economic stories of our times is rising income inequality, and the dark shadows it casts across the global economy - many would argue that we should ultimately care about equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. The problem is that opportunities are not equal. Money will always buy better quality education and healthcare. Economic inequality is no more an ethical problem. Its detrimental effects on development are now well recognised. Inequality impacts the economy in a number of ways. It is bad for economic growth as it reduces demand for goods and services. It causes volatility and instability. Many economists are of the view that inequality was the underlying cause of the financial crisis that has gripped the globe since 2007. Inequality causes envy and unhappiness and thus affects the overall wellbeing of the people. It also helps perpetuate rent-seeking in society.

THE Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram has not just been busy abducting schoolgirls and taking them hostage. It has also been attacking teachers. According to the latest report published by the Global Coalition for the Protection of Education (GCPEA), the group has been responsible for the killing of 171 teachers since 2009. A report produced by GCPEA earlier this year recorded over 800 attacks on schools in Pakistan, between 2009 and 2012. With the increase in violence that Pakistan has experienced since 2012, it is likely that the number now is considerably more. In some of these attacks, children, teachers and other school personnel were injured and schools themselves were destroyed or severely harmed.